§22-15A-12. Remediation; liability for remediation and court
costs.
(a) Any person who has, prior or subsequent to the effective
date of this act, illegally disposed of waste tires or has waste
tires illegally disposed on his or her property shall be liable
for:

(1) All costs of removal or remedial action incurred by the
Department;

(2) Any other necessary costs of remediation, including
properly disposing of waste tires and damage to adjacent property
owners; and

(3) All costs incurred in bringing civil actions under this
article.

(b) The Department shall notify any person who owns real
property or rights to property where a waste tire pile is located
that remediation of the waste tire pile is necessary. The
Department shall make and enter an order directing such person or
persons to remove and properly dispose of the waste tires. The
Department shall set a time limit for completion of the
remediation. The order shall be served by registered or certified
mail, return receipt requested, or by a county sheriff or deputy
sheriff.

(c) If the remediation is not completed within the time limit
or the person cannot be located or the person notifies the
Department that he or she is unable to comply with the order, the Department may expend funds, as provided herein, to complete the
remediation. Any amounts so expended shall be promptly repaid by
the person or persons responsible for the waste tire pile. Any
person owing remediation costs or damages shall be liable at law
until such time as all costs or damages are fully paid.

(d) Authorized representatives of the Department have the
right, upon presentation of proper identification, to enter upon
any property for the purpose of conducting studies or exploratory
work to determine the existence of adverse effects of a waste tire
pile, to determine the feasibility of the remediation or prevention
of such adverse effects and to conduct remediation activities
provided herein. Such entry is an exercise of the police power of
the state and for the protection of public health, safety and
general welfare and is not an act of condemnation of property or
trespass thereon. Nothing contained in this section eliminates any
obligation to follow any process that may be required by law.

(e) There is hereby created a statutory lien upon all real
property and rights to the property from which a waste tire pile
was remediated for all reclamation costs and damages incurred by
the Department. The lien created by this section shall arise at
the later of the following:

(1) The time costs are first incurred by the Department; or

(2) The time the person is provided, by certified or
registered mail or personal service, written notice as required by
this section.

The lien shall continue until the liability for the costs or
judgment against the property is satisfied.

(f) Any person, who is a bona fide purchaser of real property
prior to the first day of July, two thousand one, who did not
cause, permit or profit from the illegal disposal of waste tires on
the property is only liable for the costs of remediation to the
extent that the fair market value of the property, when remediation
is completed, exceeds the fair market value of the property that
existed on the first day of July, two thousand one. The Department
shall have a cause of action against any previous owner who caused,
permitted, contributed or profited from the illegal disposal of
waste tires on the property for the difference in the amount
recovered from the purchaser and the cost of remediation.

(g) Liens created by this section shall be duly recorded in
the office of the clerk of the county commission in the county
where the real property is located and be liens of equal dignity,
rank and priority with the lien on such premises of state, county,
school and municipal taxes for the amount thereof upon the real
property served. The Department shall have the power and authority
to enforce such liens in a civil action to recover the money due
for remediation costs and damages plus court fees and costs and
reasonable attorney's fees.

(h) The Department may foreclose upon the premises by bringing
a civil action, in the circuit court of the county where the
property is located, for foreclosure and an order to sell the property to satisfy the lien.

(i) Any proceeds from any sale of property obtained as a
result of execution of a lien or judgment under this section for
remediation costs, excluding costs of obtaining judgment and
perfecting the lien, shall be deposited into the A. James Manchin
Fund of the State Treasury.

(j) The provisions of this section do not apply and no lien
may attach to the right-of-way, easement or other property interest
of a utility, whether electric, gas, water, sewer, telephone,
television cable or other public service, unless the utility
contributed to the illegal tire pile.

(k) Upon determining the existence of a waste tire pile, the
Department shall file a notice of the location of the waste tire
pile in the office of the county clerk in the county where property
containing a waste tire pile is situate. The Department shall
immediately file the notice for all property known to have waste
tire piles as of the day the Legislature enacted the amendment to
this section during the two thousand five legislative session. The
notice shall contain the property owner's name, a location and
description of the property and the waste tire pile and the
potential liability for remediation. The county clerk shall record
the notice in the same manner as a lien and index the notice by the
name of the property owner.